India’s Bhavani Devi wins gold medal at Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022
The Indian fencer defeated Australian fencer Veronika Vasileva 15-10 in the final to defend her women’s senior individual sabre title in London.
Indian fencer Bhavani Devi won the gold medal in the women’s senior individual sabre category at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 in London on Wednesday.
Bhavani Devi, who last year became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics after making the cut for Tokyo 2020, was the top seed and defending champion in the category going into the event. She also won the gold in the 2018 edition held in Canberra, Australia.
The Indian fencer, ranked 42nd in the world, defeated second-seeded Australian fencer Veronika Vasileva 15-10 in the final to defend her Commonwealth fencing title in the English capital.
The Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 in London was her 10th international tournament of this year.
“It is a huge feeling to defend my title,” Bhavani Devi said. “It was a tough final and I am glad I could add another gold medal for India this year.
“It has been a great journey for me this year and I would like to continue this momentum for the upcoming tournaments. The support back home has been great for me throughout,” the Indian added.
Bhavani Devi, who hails from Tamil Nadu, reached the Table of 32 at Tokyo 2020 last year.
The year began with the Fencing World Cup in Istanbul where she finished 23rd after missing out on a spot in the last 32. Thereafter, Bhavani Devi’s World Championship campaign in July this year at Cairo ended in the second round.